,i  #aaith ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #hfih  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,may #g1 #bjbf,ms4   
,mc,donald ,rivet 7for herself and ,ms4 
,schrier7 introduced the following bill2
 which was referred to the ,committee on
 ,energy and ,commerce1 and in addition 
to the ,committee on ,education and     
,workforce1 for a period to be          
subsequently determined by the ,speaker1
 in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the           
jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
,a ,,bill  ,to protect consumers from   
gasoline and fuel price gouging1 and for
 other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this
 ,act may be cited as the ,lower ,prices
 at the ,pump ,act4  #b4 ,prohibition on
 excessive pricing of gasoline and fuels
 due to conflict with ,iran  7a7        
,prohibition ,no person may sell or     
offer for sale at wholesale or at       
retail1 and during a period of time     
defined under subsection 7b71 gasoline  
or any other petroleum distillate at a  

price that--  7#a7 is unconscionably    
excessive2 and  7#b7 indicates such     
person is taking unfair advantage of the
 circumstances related to such period   
described under subsection 7b7 to       
increase prices unreasonably4  7b7      
,period of time ,the period of time     
described in this subsection begins on  
the date of the enactment of this ,act  
and ends on the date on which the       
,president1 in consultation with the    
,speaker of the ,house of               
,representatives1 the ,majority ,leader 
of the ,senate1 the ,minority ,leader of
 the ,house of ,representatives1 and the
 ,minority ,leader of the ,senate-- 7#a7
 declares that military operations      
against ,iran which began in ,march     
#bjbf have ceased indefinitely2 and     
7#b7 determines and certifies to        
,congress that the ,strait of ,hormuz is
 fully open and global shipping through 
the ,strait has resumed4  7c7 ,factors  
considered ,in determining whether a    
person has violated subsection 7a71 the 

following factors shall be considered3  
7#a7 ,whether the price charged by such 
person for the gasoline or other        
petroleum distillate at a particular    
location in the ,united ,states meets   
any of the following characteristics3   
7,a7 ,grossly exceeds the average price 
at which such gasoline or other         
petroleum distillate was offered for    
sale by the person during the #cj-;day  
period prior to ,february #bh1 #bjbf4   
7,b7 ,grossly exceeds the price at which
 the same or similar gasoline or other  
petroleum distillate was readily        
obtainable in such location from        
competing sellers during such period4   
7,c7 ,reasonably reflects--  7i7        
additional costs not within the control 
of the person that were paid1 incurred1 
or reasonably anticipated by the person2
 or  7ii7 additional risks taken by the 
person to produce1 distribute1 obtain1  
or sell the relevant gasoline or other  
petroleum distillate under the          
circumstances4  7,d7 ,is substantially  

attributable to local1 regional1        
national1 or international market       
conditions4  7#b7 ,whether the quantity 
of gasoline or other petroleum          
distillate the person produced1         
distributed1 or sold at a particular    
location in the ,united ,states         
increased over the quantity that the    
person produced1 distributed1 or sold   
during the #cj-;day period prior to     
,february #bh1 #bjbf1 in such location4 
#c4 ,enforcement  7a7 ,enforcement by   
,commission  7#a7 ,unfair or deceptive  
acts or practices ,a violation of       
section #b7;a7 shall be treated as a    
violation of a regulation under section 
#ah7;a77#a77;,b7 of the ,federal ,trade 
,commission ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4         
#eg;a7a77#a77;,b77 regarding unfair or  
deceptive acts or practices4  7#b7      
,powers of ,commission ,the ,commission 
shall enforce section #b7;a7 in the same
 manner1 by the same means1 and with the
 same jurisdiction1 powers1 and duties  
as though all applicable terms and      

provisions of the ,federal ,trade       
,commission ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #da et  
seq47 were incorporated into and made a 
part of this ,act1 and any person who   
violates such section shall be subject  
to the penalties and entitled to the    
privileges and immunities provided in   
the ,federal ,trade ,commission ,act4   
7b7 ,actions by ,states  7#a7  ,in      
general  ,in any case in which the      
attorney general of a ,state government1
 or an official or agency of a ,state1  
has reason to believe that an interest  
of the residents of such ,state has been
 or is threatened or adversely affected 
by an act or practice in violation of   
section #b7;a71 the ,state1 as parens   
patriae1 may bring a civil action on    
behalf of the residents of the ,state in
 an appropriate district court of the   
,united ,states to--  7,a7 enjoin such  
act or practice2  7,b7 enforce          
compliance with such section2  7,c7     
obtain damages1 restitution1 or other   
compensation on behalf of residents of  

the ,state2 or  7,d7 obtain such other  
legal and equitable relief as the court 
may consider to be appropriate4  7#b7   
,notice  ,before filing an action under 
this subsection1 the attorney general1  
official1 or agency of the ,state       
involved shall provide to the           
,commission a written notice of such    
action and a copy of the complaint for  
such action4 ,if the attorney general1  
official1 or agency determines that it  
is not feasible to provide the notice   
described in this paragraph before the  
filing of the action1 the attorney      
general1 official1 or agency shall      
provide written notice of the action and
 a copy of the complaint to the         
,commission immediately upon the filing 
of the action4  7#c7 ,authority of      
,commission  7,a7 ,in general ,on       
receiving notice under paragraph 7#b7 of
 an action under this subsection1 the   
,commission shall have the right-- 7i7  
to intervene in the action2  7ii7 upon  
so intervening1 to be heard on all      

matters arising therein2 and  7iii7 to  
file petitions for appeal4  7,b7        
,limitation on ,state action while      
,federal action is pending ,if the      
,commission or the ,attorney ,general of
 the ,united ,states has instituted a   
civil action for violation of section   
#b7;a7 7referred to in this subparagraph
 as the ,federal action71 no ,state     
attorney general1 official1 or agency   
may bring an action under this          
subsection during the pendency of the   
,federal action against any defendant   
named in the complaint in the ,federal  
action for any violation of such section
 alleged in such complaint4  7#d7 ,rule 
of construction ,for purposes of        
bringing a civil action under this      
subsection1 nothing in this ,act shall  
be construed to prevent an attorney     
general1 official1 or agency of a ,state
 from exercising the powers conferred on
 the attorney general1 official1 or     
agency by the laws of such ,state to    
conduct investigations1 administer oaths

 and affirmations1 or compel the        
attendance of witnesses or the          
production of documentary and other     
evidence4  7c7 ,criminal penalties  7#a7
 ,in general ,in addition to any other  
penalty applicable under this section1  
any person who violates section #b shall
 be fined under title #ah1 ,united      
,states ,code1 in an amount not to      
exceed #ejj1jjj1jjj4  7#b7 ,enforcement 
,the criminal penalty provided by       
paragraph 7#a7 may be imposed only      
pursuant to a criminal action brought by
 the ,attorney ,general or other officer
 of the ,department of ,justice4 ,the   
,attorney ,general shall give priority  
to enforcement actions concerning       
companies with total ,united ,states    
wholesale or retail sales of gasoline   
and other petroleum distillates in      
excess of #aj1jjj1jjj1jjj per year4  7d7
 ,deposit of funds ,amounts collected in
 any penalty under this section shall be
 deposited in a separate fund in the    
,treasury to be known as the ,consumer  

,relief ,trust ,fund4  7e7 ,use of funds
 ,the amounts deposited into the fund   
described in subsection 7d7 shall be    
used to provide assistance under the    
,low ,income ,home ,energy ,assistance  
,program described in section #bfjb of  
the ,low-,income ,home ,energy          
,assistance ,act of #aiha 7#db ,u4,s4,c4
 #hfba7 administered by the ,secretary  
of ,health and ,human ,services and the 
,weatherization ,assistance ,program    
established under part ,a of title ,,iv 
of the ,energy ,conservation and        
,production ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #fhfa et
 seq47 administered by the ,secretary of
 ,energy4  #d4 ,definitions ,in this    
,act3 7#a7 ,commission ,the term        
,commission means the ,federal ,trade   
,commission4  7#b7 ,retail ,the term    
retail1 with respect to the sale of     
gasoline or any other petroleum         
distillate1 includes-- 7,a7 any sale to 
an end user1 such as a motorist2 and    
7,b7 any direct sale to another end     
user1 such as agriculture1 industry1    

residential1 and commercial consumers4  
7#c7 ,wholesale ,the term wholesale1    
with respect to the sale of gasoline or 
any other petroleum distillate1 means-- 
7,a7 truckload or smaller sales of      
gasoline or other petroleum distillates 
for which title transfers at a product  
terminal or a refinery2 and  7,b7 dealer
 tank wagon sales of gasoline or other  
petroleum distillates priced on a       
delivered basis to retail outlets4  #e4 
,effect on other laws  7a7 ,other       
authority of ,commission ,nothing in    
this ,act may be construed to limit or  
affect in any way the authority of the  
,commission to bring an enforcement     
action or take any other measure under  
the ,federal ,trade ,commission ,act    
7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #da et seq47 or any other
 provision of law4  7b7 ,state law      
,nothing in this ,act may be construed  
to preempt any ,state law4